Former Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) chairperson Muhammad Safwan Anang @ Talib was today jailed for 10 months for sedition by a sessions court in Kuala Lumpur.

Judge Norsharisah Awang found Safwan, 25, guilty of committing the offence under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 in a speech delivered on May 13 last year.

"The court is satisfied that the words uttered by the accused had  seditious tendency. The court finds him guilty," the judge said.

Safwan was granted a stay of execution pending appeal and was released on bail of RM15,000.

He was accused of making a seditious speech to encourage the public to topple a legitimate government through illegal means.

The offence was committed at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur, between 8.15pm and 11.15pm on May 13, 2013.

Safwan's lawyer, Ariff Azami Hussein, pleaded to the court to consider Safwan's situation of having to support a wife, Mastura Abu Bakar, 25, and an eight-month-old daughter.

Ariff (right) said Safwan currently works as a part-time religious teacher, earning only around RM1,200 a month.

However, deputy public prosecutor Azlina Rasdi objected to the appeal, saying that a heavy penalty, including imprisonment, must be imposed upon Safwan as a deterrent.

Azlina also expressed her support for the Sedition Act 1948, which Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced two years ago would be repealed.

“This Act is still  needed and I hope the court takes judicial note.

“As of late, cases involving sedition have been increasing and more people are committing these offences, either directly or through the mass media.

“The court should, therefore, consider the gravity of the offence and the lessons that need to be learned, and also as a warning to the public to not commit the same mistakes,” Azlina argued.

Judge Norsharisah took into account Safwan's influence factor and public interest as she read out her judgment.

“Who are all these people, are they students? Look at your influence. This sentencing should serve as a lesson to those who are inclined to committing such crimes,” Norsharisah said, referring to the public gallery filled with Safwan's supporters.

She added that Safwan is supposed to be a “role model”, so he should have carefully considered his influence and family issues before committing the offence.

“I hope this sentence will serve as a lesson to all those who want to commit offences such as this,” she said as she sentenced him to 10 months in prison from today.

Besides Safwan, four others are facing a similar charge and will all be tried separately.

They are 50-year-old MP for Batu, Chua Tian Chang, who is better known as Tian Chua, PAS member Mohd Tamrin Abdul Ghafar, 63, and activists Adam Adli Abdul Halim and Haris Fathillah Mohamed Ibrahim, 55.


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